The first time I shared this song with someone they said they dug it. Then asked whether this band would perform live in a dark chamber or long hallway. I answered, “dark chamber.” Apparently this was a rhetorical question. Yes “Montana” by Youth Lagoon – aka Trevor Powers – sounds very dark, but it is also epic and sweeping in a very subtle way. The same way “You and Whose Army” by Radiohead is: quiet, but creeping, growing and deceivingly powerful.
They removed the Soundcloud track so here’s the video:
Youth Lagoon – Montana from Tyler T Williams on Vimeo.
The song pokes at an indescribable feeling by trying to convey this mood through layers of evocative melody and somber tone; The state of mind of smiling while you’re crying. Instinct tells me the rest of Trevor Powers’ music builds on the collision of morose and grandiose based on this quote:
“For my whole life I’ve dealt with extreme anxiety.” says Powers. “Not anxiety about passing a test or somewhat normal things, but weird.. bizarre things. Things that only I know. I sometimes feel like I’m literally being eaten up inside. So I started writing these songs. Not just songs about my anxiety, but about my past and my present. Songs about memories, and all those feelings that those bring.”